Bottled water: Court seeks comments of food authority

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has sought a reply from the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) on a petition challenging the sale of substandard bottled drinking water.

The petition was filed in 2009 by Barrister Zafarullah Khan of Watan Party, contending that plastic bottles used for packaging water were made of polyethylene terephthalate. The substance, also known as Pet, has been linked with breast and uterine cancers.

The plaintiff claimed the use of plastic bottles for water also increased the risk of miscarriage and decreased testosterone levels while interfering with the body’s natural hormonal system.

Barrister Zafar stated that most of the bottled water companies also did not write on their labels that from where they were getting the water.

In Pakistan, the petitioner said, the people were in fact drinking tap water or purified tap water in the name of mineral water. He requested the court that all bottled water brands should be tested from reliable laboratories before they are allowed for human consumption.